Siren
by FyreStorm56
Summary: When the a second threat to the earth brings together the avengers once again they need the help of Bruce Banner's new partner in his helping of the people of the universe. Can the woman get past her past and move forward to help the Avengers or will the world fall? Warning OC! This is also has no Beta and I cannot spell! Be forewarned! :3
1. Chapter 1

"Loki has informed me of something my allies," Thor announced casually, as if he hadn't caused a huge scene by falling from the sky in the middle of New York only ten minutes ago before making his way to the newly renamed Avengers Tower.

"Something Point Break or something important enough that you are coming down in the middle of date night and stop Pepper and I from having an amazing meal flown in from Italy?" Tony asked, nursing his tumbler full of bourbon.

"There is an ill tide about fall upon midgaurd, the people are in danger," Thor announced, tightening his grip on his hammer, "We are going to be needed."

"You should have just let us shoot him when we had the chance," Clint groaned, while Natasha nodded without looking up from sharpening her knives.

"He is my brother, I will not tolerate people speaking ill of him, we will need him," Thor announced.

"And what does he even think will happen, I mean all of the worlds know that we can kick their butts," Tony laughed while taking a sip of his drink as Pepper smacked his arm disapprovingly.

"They are coming, his former allies have found a new warrior for their cause and he is said to be much stronger," Thor paced then, restless.

"Stronger? The things that they sent before weren't strong, there was just a lot of them, what did they get now, a kitten?" Tony laughed, smiling at Pepper as he sat the drink down and raised his hands in defeat.

"Where is friend Bruce, we will need him," Thor annonced, suddenly noticing the lack of their ally.

"What did you say about us needing Loki?" Clint asked, his voice edging up an octive, standing suddenly.

"Focus, Clint," Natasha interrupted, standing and taking his wrist into her gentle hand.

"He is after someone on this planet first," Thor sighed again, taking a soothing breath, "Loki is…Loki is working with the people at S.H.I.E.L.D. to find the person they are looking for."

"He's working with what?!" Clint stomped forward, "Why is he even here!? He is supposed to be still being punished for New York!"

"Friend Hawk, be calm he is only trying to help," Thor reached out with a single hand moving in a defensive motion.

"This is insane! How are we going to trust someone that just…that…" Clint shouted, stomping in circles and shoving his shaking hands through his hair.

"Why should we trust him, Thor?" Natasha asked, following Clint with her eyes.

"Because we don't have any other choice," Thor answered, shaking his head.

"So what do you wanna do, Goldilocks?" Tony asked, standing suddenly, glancing at Pepper, who didn't look all to pleased about anything that was being said.

"We need to get back to the helicarrier," Steve announced, standing from the couch where he had been hiding, silent until now.

"Why?" Pepper shouted back, "How do we even know that your brother is tellng the truth about this?"

"My brother would know better then to lie, it is a matter of honor and of his life," Thor sighed, shaking his head, "He will be preminantly exiled if he is wrong."

"He better be," Tony snapped, bending to kiss Pepper, "We will be back soon, I promise."

"You better be," Pepper answered, "Jarvis prepare the suit for Tony and get a plane ready for the others."

"Yes, ma'am."

One Hour Later

S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier

"So we figured out the basics of what they are about to be after," Fury announced as soon as the team entered the room, though he didn't turn.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, standing in the front of the group.

"And where is Banner? We are going to need him for this if it's real," Tony added.

"Banner is still in the wind and what they need, what they want is…"

"A person who can control the world with their voice alone," Loki announced, walking into the room with agents on either side.

"A person who can what?" Clint turned quickly.

"That's not…" Natasha started.

"It is, they are mutants that can do anything now," Logan, Wolerine of the X-Men, followed the pervious group.

"So there is some one that could seriously…"

"Get everyone, including us, to drop to one damned knee and pray that someone kill us," Logan nodded, "Professor Xavier worked with three people that could possibly be what they are looking for, so I was called in, but I think this is stupid. You idiots are chasing your tails for something that some idiot told you about on a hunch."

"It is not a hunch! The Chutiri called me back!" Loki shouted back.

"And do you think that they would really tell you the truth," Tony asked, laughing.

"None of those kids are strong enough to do what they want anyway," Logan disagreed.

"None of them, there are a few more," Fury disagreed, turning back to the screens that were pulling up several profiles, "most are too old,'' the motioned to the three on his left, all older people, knocking them away with a flick of his wrist. "She is dead," he flicked another woman away, "She was strong enough though. But this one…" he double clicked on the last one, a woman standing in a holigraphic image, "She has the power and she is young enough."

"So this is the girl they need, hm?" Clint asked, moving closer to the screen, looking at the girl that looked to be early 20s, brown hair and eyes.

"She's with Banner," Maria Hill anounced, bursting into the room, looking ruffled.

"Banner was in the wind, we promised after…" Fury tried to announce but he was interrupted again.

"We weren't tracking him, I was tracking her," Maria answered, "In Brazil for a while, disappeared and reappeared, then Banner showed up. The two have been working together for about two months."

"Time to break it up, we need them both and we need them A.S.A.P. Bring them both back to base and inform them of what is going on now."

"It's not that easy sir," Agent Hill interjected, "She has others that are following her, they have been keeping distance because of recent S.H.I.E.L.D. activity but if we try to take her away there might be some…unfortunate reactions."

"From who?"

"From the other team and…if Banner gets caught in the cross fire…the Hulk could smash both them and the girl."

"And what exactly do you think will happen if any of the agents just show up and tell the Hulk and some kid who has been in the wind get in the van?" Logan laughed, making Tony bristle in distaste.

"It's Banner, not the Hulk but that girl I can't say anything besides she has good choice in who she ran away with," Tony laughed, smiling slightly, "I'll go get them with the other Avengers, that's your best beat to get Banner to come back without incedent."

"And if the other team that is following the girl steps in?" Fury asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We are the Avengers, Earth's mightest heroes, what do you think would happen?"

"Right," Fury nodded.

"Everyone suit up!" Steve announced, then he looked back at Logan and Loki, "I don't know about you two."

"Take them with you," Fury motioned dismissively with his hand.

"Right," Clint agreed, eyes narrowing, "This is a good idea."

"Suit up then, met in the hanger and we'll take it from there,'' Steve agreed, walking away with the rest of his team and the others trailing slowly behind.

Somewhere in Brazil

Three Hours Later

"I'm ready for the next patient," Bruce called out, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. The sweat was pouring off of his face in the noon sun, his white tee shirt was already soaked in sweat, he knew he was going to have to change soon to make sure that everything in the shabby tent was as streil as it could. His kakhis were ripped and muddy, his brown boots were untied but he continued to wear them, his brown hair was flattened to his skull.

He reached over and checked the large white med kit that stayed next to him and in front of the cot for the patients and checked the contents. The medceine bottles and slave, bandages and wraps were all still full, he would need to grab more needles for injections at the next town. The small brown tent wasn't the least strile place he had been in the past twenty years but he knew that he would also have to buy a new cot so it could stay that way.

He sighed and sat down fully on the dirt floor, allowing some of the pressure off of his knees. "I said I'm ready for the next…"

"There aren't anymore here at the moment," the female voice that he had gotten used to over the past two months answered, her voice echoing into the tent a second before she herself ducked inside. "I brought you a new shirt," she held out a new white tee to Bruce timidly.

He was taken aback for a second, blinking dumbly in her direction, before looking down to the actual shirt. He glanced back up at her, smiling that her own shirt looked freshly changed, white tee that still managed to cling to her breast and skim down her waist before changing into a pair a green, knee length cargo shorts. Her shoes however where only canvas tennis shoes, he had watched her accidently destroy her own pair of boots last week when she had to cross the river.

"Thanks," he smiled at her akwardly, taking the shirt quickly, "I need one."

"You're welcome," she smiled, Bruce watched as her normally pale skin turned a delicate pink, "You'll need to stop soon Doctor Banner and grab some food or you might pass out."

"Well I guess there aren't any other people wait for me," Bruce said slowly, biting his lip, "what are you thinking?"

"I went into town today and refreshed our provisions…there isn't much, some bread and fruit and more clean water, but it'll stop you from passing out," she shrugged.

"Thanks," Bruce gave a half grin, standing and trying to ignore the ache in his knees and back, "I'm getting old."

"Way before your time," Alex smiled, turning to lead them to the 'living' tent, Bruce trailing behind. The 'living' tent just turned out to be a matching ratty brown tent, in which sat a small bag of clothes for each person next to their own sleeping bags.

"Lunch time!" Alex shouted, dropping herself next to the bag sitting at the entrance. "What are you craving Doctor Banner?"

Bruce sat down slowly, careful of his knees, stripping his shirt and pulling on the new one. "Um, got any bananas this time?"

"Banana for Doctor Banner," she nodded, groping around in the bag searching for the fruit. "Bread for me!"

Banner smiled again, looking down at the floor as she enthusastically handed him the banana, shaking his head. "Thanks, so what have you been working on today?" he methodically peeled his fruit.

"I worked on that water purifing system some more," she answered, nibbling on the bread, "You need to make sure the chemicals are balanced inside but the structure is complete. It should last on the up side about twenty six years."

"That's great," Banner said enthustastically.

"And you saved like eighteen people today," she added with a grin, "Sounds like we both had good days, don't you think?"

"Pretty good," he agreed, holding out his hand, "Orange this time?"

"Right," she agreed, tossing him the requested fruit, "I didn't think that it would be so easy to find the right metals to create something sestainable in water for that long, without your contections I would have never been able to find anamanthim! It might even last longer then I estimate considering how strong it is!"

"I haven't seen you this excited in a long time," Bruce's voice held something akin to pride, "I told you…you would do great things."

"I'm a enginer, a math wiz, doctor," she shook her head, "and someone with one of the most deadly gift known to mutants and humans alike."

"And you have a…"

Bruce's voice was cut off by the stready sound of a metal thunk, heavy footsteps toward the tent, and then wind. Lots of wind as Bruce and Alex jumped to their feet. So strong that the tent seemed to be close to being pulled up by the metal posts that held it fast. Another landing sounded, the landing of a plane right in front of the tents.

"Big guy," the voice from right outside the tent asked, knocking open the door with a red armored arm, "long time no see."

"Tony," Bruce almost laughed at the shock, "or should I say Iron Man?"

"Doctor Banner," Steve's voice followed Tony into the tent, the man and the rest of the team following.

"This tent is getting crowded guys," Tony complained, though none of them moved.

"Avengers thing? Or is this a socail visit?" Bruce asked, watching Alex from the corner of his eyes shift from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"We need your friend," Natasha answered bluntly, pointing to Alex, "you can come with us or you can stay in the wind, but I would suggest moving because S.H.I.E.L.D. has been following her."

"You were right," Bruce said in Alex's very stiff body direction, "Someone was following us, I thought that they were after me but I guess…I was wrong. Sorry."

"Told you," she answered making Natasha and Clint stiffen, the others as well but they were more controlled.

"That's a great way to react to her," Bruce scoffed, "She can control her power."

"Their cation is for good reason," Loki announced, walking to the front of the tent sided with Logan.

"Shut up," Alex snapped without thinking, and her lack of control was almost comedic when the look upon Loki's face when he couldn't open his mouth…except it wasn't, to most of the others anyway.

"I've been trying to do that for months and she does it with two words," Tony laughed aloud, moving forward to clap his hand on her shoulder. "By the way Brucey you said you were camping out with a Mathmatian the was working on a product that could treat most of the water in third world countries. Instead I find you here with a babe feeding each other fruit."

"She is a mathmatian, she finished the machine by the way, just needs my calabrations for the chemicals," Bruce denied.

"It'll be good for at least twenty six years," she added, "I've never seen the metal at work in water but the strength is the best in the world."

"Hot and smart, Pepper and Jane will be excited that we have found another one of you, right Nathasha?" Tony barked out between laughs.

"He has no sense of self preservernce does he?" Clint asked, watching as Tony threw his arm around both Bruce's and Alex's shoulders.

"So are you going to come or not kid?" Logan snapped, glaring at the group.

"She's thirty seven," Bruce smiled, if any of them had known better they would've swore that their was something cocky in his face.

"That's not…" Clint spoke, before shaking his head, "another mutation?"

"Things…don't kill me that are supposed to," she shrugged, "I guess that included age? Because I stopped at twenty something."

"There you go Logan, guess when we all die you won't be completely alone, if you make friends," Clint sighed, trying to ignore the fact that Alex practically cringed at the thought.

"So are you going to come with us nicely?" Natasha broke into the line of civil conversation with the complete bluntness she was known for.

Bruce moved from under Tony's arm and stood in front of Alex, shocking the team for a second, "You don't seem to be giving much of a choice Tasha," Bruce said calmly.

"Doctor Banner, it's fine," Alex smiled tightly, "I'll go with them, you stay here, work on those chemicals for me."

"Bruce we aren't doing this because we can," Steve added calmly, "Loki said there is another war coming…they will come for her because they don't want a fight."

"They want complete submission," Alex whispered, holding her hand to her lips.

"Exactly," Clint nodded, "S.H.I.E.L.D. only is going to keep you until we can stop the threat, then you can follow Banner into the wind."

"I doubt that," she smiled at him, "but I'll play along."

"I'm coming too," Bruce announced, "I need to make sure the chemicals fit with the design and all."

"Then let's get moving," Tony smiled, taking him under his arm again.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The helicarrier hadn't changed since the last time Bruce was on board and neither had the agents, they continued to stare at him like he was terminally ill and would kill them. He guessed the last part was correct but all things considered they should know better by now that it would take more than just a shove to set him off. Alex looked no better than he did when he was first here either, she looked jumpy, anxious, and she had yet to say a word since she had boarded the ship in front of their tents with all of her supplies in hand.

"She's kindof a stiff, Green Bean," Tony announced, plopping himself down in the seat next to Bruce in the lab.

"She's scared," Bruce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Where is she?"

"Still with the angry pirate," he answered with a shrug, "Don't worry, he won't do anything."

"I know that," Bruce agreed, pushing up his glasses and turning back to the chemical equation for the water treatment.

"So she's been working with you for over two months and you have not gotten past Doctor Banner?"

"She said it's best that she calls me that so when she is working she doesn't accidently command me to do something," Bruce shrugged, "I just want her to be comfortable."

"So she is being ultra-careful with that name?"

"Doctor Banner is my name," Bruce laughed.

"But you like it when people call you Bruce," Tony quipped.

"True," he nodded, "but I like her feeling content, it makes me feel a little better knowing that she cares enough to keep a little extra care to not control me."

"Am I interrupting something boys?" Natasha's voice cut into the conversation, she leaned her hip against the jab of the door, Alex stood behind her.

"Hey," Bruce stood up making his way over to Alex's side, almost touching her arms, watching her flinch and letting his hands drop. "Are you okay?"

She nodded at him, smiling slightly, before moving around him and into the lab. Alex sat in Bruce's former seat and smiled up at him, tilting her head. "Think she's asking if you got the equations done, Doctor," Tony said with a wink.

"Not yet," he laughed, shaking his head at Tony, "I have done a few and I am almost done with most."

"So…" Natasha started and then shook her head, "Clint will show up later tonight to show you all to your rooms."

"We are going to leave tomorrow," Tony announced sternly, "We'll be staying in the Avenger's Tower if Fury wants to send more of the agents with us."

"He will,'' Natasha sighed, "Agent Hill will defiantly be going."

"Big surprise," Bruce shook his head.

"I'll be back later," Natasha waved her hand absently, turning away, leaving only the swishing of the air tight door behind.

"So are you going to talk again?" Bruce questioned with a smile, moving closer to Alex and Tony.

"Talking is over rated," Alex joked, running a hand through her hair.

"You would know," Tony laughed, "but you seriously built this in the middle of the Amazon?" He picked up the small box in his hand, turning the metal in the light, noting the hallows, lifting the top and gazing at the complicated composition.

"I did," she agreed, holding out her hand for the cube, watching with a smile as he placed it gently there. "It wasn't really that hard, I had the schematics drawn up, the hardest thing was getting the metals."

"You're welcome," Tony laughed.

"He was your contact?"

"Sorry," Bruce apologized, "I should have told you, didn't think the name would mean much considering what you've told me about your time in the states."

"It wouldn't have," she answered with a sigh.

"So you know we now have the top people in every field connected to the Avengers," Tony said thoughtfully.

"I'm not top in my field…I don't even have a field," Alex quickly avoided.

"But you will be! Just give me a day to get your name out there and show people this and you and I will be the two people cleaning the world of all pollutants!" Tony shouted dramatically, jumping up and spinning around like the world was there.

"You are so weird," Alex laughed, smiling.

Bruce felt a shiver of warmth down his spine at her laugh, he hadn't heard her laugh in a while. A smile made his way to his face and he shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts assaulting him. "He is," Bruce agreed, "so we are going to stay with you tomorrow?"

"Yep," Tony answered a little too loudly considering how close they were standing, "and we are going to save to save the world together!"

"You've already saved the world," Alex sighed, folding her feet under her, "I don't save things, I control them."

"Control, save, you can do both if you balance well enough," Tony shrugged

"Or accidently become world ruler or help some alien freak become one," Alex laughed, "either or."

"Well I think you like the two of us well enough, so the three of us controlling things wouldn't be so bad," Tony added, "could you imagine the huge throne…oh wait…I already have one."

"Too much work," she disagreed.

"Too much stress too," Bruce added, "We would just end up blow things up."

"That's always fun," she nodded.

"Stark!'' Nick Fury stormed into the room, silencing all conversation and quickly putting both Bruce and Alex on edge.

Tony felt something in his gut twitch as he saw two people that were completely calm ten seconds ago and joking with him like old friends go so quickly to stressed. He scowled, leaning against one of the stainless steel lab tables, "To what do we owe the pleasure of a pirate in our labs?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"You want to take the one person that could help some aliens take over the world to your little tower?" Fury spat at him, glancing between Stark and Alex, who was still sitting stiffly in the chair.

"She's a free woman," he shrugged, "I don't see why she can't be comfortable and continuing her research in a 'welcoming' environment."

"This is the safest place on Earth, this is where…"

"No, the building with Earth's mightiest heroes and the man who almost took over the world, I would say that there is the safest place," Tony denied, "You aren't giving her her rights! Prisoners are told where to stay and you are acting like she is one…which you assured us that she wasn't, right?"

"Stark, I'm only trying to do what is best for Earth," Fury said, holding his hands up in defense.

"At the cost of someone that could save it? I honestly think treating her like a partner instead of a prisoner. Think about how safe she is going to be when we all leave," Tony said simply, "You guys couldn't stop Hawkeye and small team of trained soldiers from almost destroying this place…with a two of us helping. What are you going to do alone?"

"I'm sure she can…" Fury stopped himself, a severe frown cutting into his face.

"Sure she can what Nick? Stop herself from being captured? Then why did you get us to bring her here?"

"There was no thought other than to…"

"_Tell the truth Director Fury_," Alex finally spoke an ounce of steel in her eyes.

"You were ordered to be brought here because the council wants to observe her actions and see if she is a threat to the governments of the world. They want to know if she needs to be contained or if she just needs to be watched," Fury answered through clenched teeth and a frowned brow.

Alex stood quickly, her fists were clenched and her mouth set, "_You lied to them to get me here so you could figure out if you needed to kill me, didn't you!?" _

"The council had that idea only if you were uncontrollable if you were able to be controlled they wanted to use your gift for…"

"Control… that's what they want," she whispered, cutting him off, only then noticing that the rest of the team and the two outsiders now stood in the doorway.

"So you lied," Bruce asked, moving forward quickly grasping Alex's wrist.

"I don't know why we are even surprised by that anymore," Tony shook his head, slowly.

"Is what you just said true, Director Fury?" Steve asked, moving forward, looking at Alex's trembling form.

"Captain don't take this further then it needs to go," Fury said, raisin his hands in a soothing movement.

"You tricked us into bringing and mutant her for containment, I'm pretty sure that that's not even legal," the Captain disagreed with a stern look.

"Actually it is," Alex broke in, "mutants aren't legally humans. They can be killed and contained however the people see fit."

"So this freaky council thing could kill you whenever they feel like," Tony snapped.

"Always could, it's not like mutants are human or anything," Logan spat out, moving into the room, his gaze cold, "The professor won't like what you were trying to use his powers and connections for."

"We are leaving the ship, you can contact me at the tower if you need something about world saving," Tony added, waving his hand dismissively, "We'll take my jet and any of you are welcome to take a flight back with us."

Bruce watched as Tony swept Alex under his arm with little resistance from Alex, his own body following under Tony's opposite shoulder. Director Fury was shifted out of the way as Tony made his quick escape. "We'll grab your stuff and met you up top," the Captain muttered, clapping Tony on the shoulder before the door slid shut with a final snap.

Tony's body was rigid, anger coming off of him in waves, his hand was tight on both of their shoulders. He was muttering nonsensical words under his breath, so quietly that only snippets of words such as mutant and ridiculous. "Tony, it's okay," Alex whispered, apparently understanding more of the words then Bruce had.

Tony slowly shook his head, moving them more quickly to the top of the helicarrier where his jet was waiting. The wind whipped around them, almost knocking them off their feet as they trudged to the ship. The door opened for the three as soon as they stopped in front of the shiny black jet, allowing them to step inside.

Tony released both of the people when they stepped onto the ship, throwing himself down on one the many plush couches the sat in the body of the ship. He buried his face in his hands, pushing the palms into his eyes and digging his hands into his hair. "Are you okay?" Bruce asked, moving over quickly to Tony's side.

"No," Tony answered, with a stiff shake of his head, "I don't understand how Fury, with clear conscious, asked us to go get a person that he was thinking of killing! I didn't even question it! I always question it!"

"It's alright Tony," Alex smiled a half smile that Bruce thought almost mirrored his own, "You thought that they were doing the right thing. Sometimes even the smartest people don't question things."

Tony looked up at her with unamused eyes, "You clearly don't know me that well.''

"I did jut meet you only eight hours ago," she quipped.

He conceded a small smile to her, "That is true, didn't think of it that way."

A swift knock cut off anything further that was going to be said, the swift flow of air as the steps were lowered again. Steve lead the group, befuddled and frustrated looks on their faces, "How are you?" the captain questioned, though these words, she could tell were completely Steve.

"I'm fine," Alex answered, as a wan smile lit her face, "I think that you are taking it harder than I am."

"He shouldn't have sent us for containment…though," Natasha looked up at Bruce with a small twitch of the lips, "I just realized this rather recently."

"Good to know that I've changed your mind," Bruce laughed, though the laugh was thin as his eyes continued to glance back and forth between Alex and the team.

"Doctor Banner, I am fine," Alex sighed, without turning around, "I really am."

"So are you planning on heading back to Avengers tower? Or what?" Clint worded his question awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with his hand roughly.

"I'd rather take you to the tower," Tony said suddenly, looking up from his hands with an odd look on his face, "We can make sure that no one gets their hands on you, even the government won't try to cross me."

"Tony you don't have to…" Alex stopped, watching the look on his face cross into so many emotions that she didn't have time to keep up with them.

"I helped SHEILD discover and corner you in the helicarrier, I'm pretty sure I have to," Tony disagreed fiercely, "besides, you are in danger and you are important to my science bro," he grinned cockily, though it was clearly fake, "You know, bros before hoes…wait that's not the right thing, oh yea, we protect what's ours…you are important to Bruce and if you are important to him, you are to me."

"I'm just…" she stopped, shaking her head as the pressure built up behind her eyes, this wasn't the time nor the place to reveal the shady parts of herself.

Bruce felt himself reach out, grasping her wrist in shaking hands, he knew what she was thinking. She had spent enough time with him to release the details of her life, how she viewed herself, her past… He shook his head, "Don't," a single word escaped from his mouth before he could stop it.

"Fine," she answered, taking a deep breath before sitting back among the cushions next to Bruce and Tony, "I'll go back to the tower, I mean, what's the worst that could happen."

"Good," Tony said sharply, nodding, "I'll make sure that there is a room suited for your…screams."

Alex laughed, a sharp shake of the head, "Thanks, I really need a room with shatterproof things."

"And a bunch of screen less computers," Tony added, "After all, your work is going to save the world eventually."

"I highly doubt that," she smiled, "but I would like a computer that wouldn't be able to break if I didn't freak out a little."

"Do you actually have that technology?" Bruce smiled slightly, jumping as the plane began to take off without warning.

"Have you not seen the things on the helicarrier?" Tony questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Those were yours, weren't they?" Bruce almost laughed that he hadn't thought about that before.

"Of course, everything always is!" Tony announced with another cocky grin.

"Stark," Clint spoke again, drawing attention to himself, "you do understand that you are going to have another world, a government agency…"

"And the other not so government agency all looking for me," Alex added with a sigh, "A lot of trouble for…''

"Someone that could bring the world to its knees?" Loki finished, eyebrows raised in a haughty manner, "You are forgetting you puny human that you could destroy the world."

"But you are still calling me a puny human?" she asked with raised brows.

"You can still die," Loki dismissed with a wave of his hand, "therefore you are still human."

She shrugged slightly, smirking before turning to Bruce and Tony, "Do you think we can get some real food at your tower?" she sighed dreamily, "I would kill to get some meat…I haven't had meat in years!"

"Really that's all she wants…and she is going to stay at Stark, I mean, Avengers Tower?" Tony looked at her, a flicker of gratitude of his brown eyes.

"I just want some bologna, please!" she whined, as if he was going to deny her.

"Grade A steak will be waiting in your room," Tony laughed slightly, as he watched Bruce's eyes light up and the team's posture relax.

"Meat!" she shouted in triumph, throwing herself onto Tony, dramatically hugging him, "Tell your girlfriend she may now have competition because I am in love with you!"

The group chuckled, though Natasha caught a flash of something on Bruce's face before he hastily covered it and smiled along with them. He sat down next to the girl putting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her off of Tony, "Pepper is terrifying and Tony is way too old for you," Bruce said as if he was saying something else entirely.

"Doctor Banner, you know I'm only a few years younger than you and Tony is only a year away from your age. I only look like a kid," Alex sighed, but she let herself be pulled herself back to the seats between the scientists. "Besides you know I was joking," she smiled softly at him, winking awkwardly.

Bruce scoffed before looking away and shaking his head in shock. "So about those equations…"

"No!" Clint shouted, disgust coloring his tone, "Please no science or math, please talk about something normal! Something fun!"

"Math and science are fun!" Tony interjected.

"Fine, what would you guys like to talk about? And please sit down before you give me high anxiety!" Alex announced, attempting to show them the confidence that she had gained from confronting Fury.

Bruce noted Alex from the corner of his eye, curling in on herself, taking the stance both of them usually took when dealing with people. She was slowly freaking out, even though she wouldn't admit it to any of them. He sighed, pinching between his eyes.

"What about how you guys met and stuff," Clint laughed, winking at the pair, watching Alex blush up to her ears.

"I was working my first week in the Amazon when someone came into my tent screaming about a woman," Bruce answered with a chuckle, "I followed the kid out and found Alex laying there, half-dead, unconscious and running a fever that would kill almost anyone. I took her under my care and after a few weeks she woke up."

"I decided to stick with him after that," she added, "He saved me, it was the least I can do. So together we began to help people."

"Oh he saved you so you are now indebted to him forever!" Tony announced with a small nod.

"Yep, I now own her soul," Bruce said, sarcasm lacing his voice.

"I don't have a soul Bruce," Alex disagreed, "You should have known that."

"Tony…what are we going to do when we get back to your tower?" Natasha questioned, raising an eyebrow, "Do you really think that all it's going to take is being you to protect all of us?"

"We are going to do exactly what we always do in the tower with two more geniuses and a much better cook then usual to go with our baker!"

Steve shook his head, knowing that the 'baker' was of course him, it would be nice to have a kitchen that didn't smell like thick burnt food every time he was going to bake something. "It would be nice to spend some time in the kitchen again without a gas mask."

"You bake, Captain?" Alex tilted her head in confusion.

"Better then these guys," he laughed, relaxing more into the friendly conversation, "They would burn water, I swear it."

"I lived off of noodles most of my life so I can't say anything," she laughed.

"Noodles!? As in those things in a package you make with boiling water?" Thor boomed, "Those sound most delicious!"

"They aren't, Blondie," Clint disagreed, "They are cheap and salty."

"And only good in certain degrees," Natasha added, a look of disgust as if she was remembering past experiences with noodles on the field.

"I liked them," Alex yelped, jumping to her own defense.

"You won't after Bruce and the Cap are done with you! You'll never be able to eat that stuff without cringing again. Trust me, I know," Clint halfheartedly whined.

"That won't be helpful later on," Alex winced, her concern seemed all too real while Clint's was a joke.

"Hey hey hey, you planning on running as soon as the world is safe?" Tony asked, mock outrage in his voice.

"Maybe a day after, you know you can always overstay a welcome," she winked at him, hoping to pull this off as a joke.

"Nope, you are now part of the Avengers, you aren't allowed to leave again," Tony said simply, "I don't even understand why you would even want to."

"I don't understand you people," she sighed, running a hand through her hair, "You don't want me around longer than necessary or you will get a lot more people coming to your home that have a lot less care about laws."

"Eh," Clint shrugged casually, "Nothing we couldn't take care of."

"Strange people," she whispered again, though she could feel a soothing comfort settle around her and a smile tugging at her lips. She felt welcomed, mildly cared about and she actually liked it, she hadn't ever felt this way before…until she met Bruce actually. Another hand thoroughly her hair as she shook it quickly, she couldn't get comfortable, she wasn't allowed…too much could happen. She would stay here as long as necessary and then she would sneak away, even away from Bruce, because that is was her life.

"I'm going to sleep awhile," Natasha said seriously, glaring down at them as if she meant something more, "Do not wake me up until we get to the tower."

Another smile tugged at her lips, "I'm going to nap too," she added, leaning her head back against the wall, "don't worry though nothing would be able to wake me."

She watched Natasha shake her head, a twitch of her lips turning them slightly upward, before leaning her head onto Clint's shoulder. "Don't move."

"Aye aye," Clint smiled widely, as if he were completely used to being a pillow.

Alex breathed in deeply, clearing her mind and closing her eyes, letting her world go black. Bruce chuckled slightly as he heard the snores immediately started to escape Alex's slightly open mouth, he didn't expect anything less, she had woken up with him at seven in the morning to start giving the medicine. "Guess that mediation I taught her worked for something," Bruce pondered out loud.

"She always sleep that fast?" Steve asked, shock coloring his tone as some turbulence caused the plane to bounce and Alex knocked her head against the wall…still snoring, "Or this soundly?"

"No," Bruce shook his head, reaching over and shifting Alex until her head was in his lap, making everyone raise a mental eyebrow though he didn't notice, "When we met she had tons of night terrors, anxiety, and insomnia."

"Why?"

"Childhood trauma I think, she told me she had spent a lot of time running and seen a lot of really bad things," Bruce answered, moving his hand to her hair and with gentle sweeping fingers he moved the stray hairs that had fallen into her face behind her ears.

"You think?" Natasha questioned, her brain picking out the word as easily as Tony could've picked up the word wrench or Thor could've picked out the word feast.

"She hasn't told you why she has trouble sleeping?" Clint continued her question, his mind suddenly wary, "You two have been together for months according to Hill."

"Just two months and I don't push," Bruce interjected, "I think that is why she stays."

"Because you don't make her tell you about her past?" Steve pondered aloud.

"She has things in her past that she doesn't want everyone to know, just like the rest of us," Bruce said pointedly.

"Don't you think that that might be pertinent to what's happening now, Doctor?" Natasha questioned, "Maybe that's why people are after her."

"It is, I know that much," Bruce laughed, but the sound was hallow, "I needed to know that much if I had several people with guns following me."

"So what are they there for?" Tony poked Bruce in the side, "And for someone that says that they aren't together, you two look pretty chummy to me."

"She couldn't sleep like that, she would have a stiff neck later and that's how I know that that is probably what her night terrors were about, because that's where the men are from."

"Her past?''

"They work for her adopted father," Bruce nodded, taking a deep breath to soothe his nerves as he heard Hulk growling in his head. "He wants her back."

"She's 37 I don't think it matters what he wants," Tony laughed, then he felt his heart drop when he saw the look on Bruce's face and the shake of his head.

"Though I'm not clear on the exacts I'm pretty sure dead or alive was part of their orders," Bruce whispered, once again his hand running through Alex's hair.

"Told her she fits right in," Tony sighed again, the comment would have been funny in any other situation but Tony's tone was very grim.

"Now, I'm going to nap," Natasha broke in, rubbing her face into Clint's thigh, curling up like a cat.

"Right," Tony agreed, the idea of a drink and a nap sounded great all the sudden, "JARVIS! Wake us when we land!"

"Yes, sir, there is also a napcap waiting at the bar before your nap," JARVIS replied, saying the word napcap with a tired tone.

"Napcap?" Clint questioned with a laugh, which earned him a swift slap from Natasha.

"Like a nightcap but before nap time," Tony explained proudly, moving to the bar and taking his drink with one swift gulp before settling himself on the couch, next to Bruce and leaning on his free thigh.

Bruce gave him a weird look, not pushing him away however, "What are you doing?"

"Hey! It's free and according to your complete denial about your relationship with her means that friends can totally nap on your thighs!'' Tony announced cocky smile glued in place.

"Whatever Tony," Bruce shrugged, leaning his head against the wall, slipping into a meditative sleep.

Tony sighed, stealing a glance at Clint and Steve who both shrugged, but both knew what was going through Tony's mind. Another cocky smile crossed Tony's lips as he caught the look in Steve's eyes that screamed disapproval, "He'll admit eventually, I'm just going to make him admit it a lot sooner…they'll thank me later," Tony excused himself, closing his eyes.

"Tony," Steve whispered disapproving.

"Let him be, Cap, he's not going to change his mind," Clint sighed, closing his eyes as well.

"They will make a freaky couple," Logan whispered from his side of the room as everyone on the Avengers team drifted into sleep, while he and Loki hid in their own corner, still unnoticed as they entered the plane in the first place.

"Hmmm," Loki nodded, watching all of them with a critical eye, "This should be fun."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The plane landed over four hours later…though no one know how the plane ride had ended up taking that long when it was supposed to be a two hour flight at most on Tony's state of the art jet. Pepper, along with Jane and Darcy were all waiting at the airport for the jet, though no one knew how they knew they were returning. The group descended from the plane and nothing good was about to come from the tapping of Pepper's toes in her stiletto heels.

"Anthony Edward Stark!" Pepper barked out, moving forward with a tight look on her face, glaring down at Tony.

Tony flinched at the tone, immediately moving behind Thor, hoping for some cover when the heels were about to fly at his head. "Peps…you know I hate it when you use my full name," Tony whined gently, not daring to look out from behind Thor's large frame.

"What did you do?" she continued, pinching at the crease between her eyes, though she still looked like a vision in white in her pressed dress suit. "Director Fury has called the tower over eighty times, ranting about how you have betrayed SHIELD! What did you do? Did you break into his system again? Did you steal all of the files again or did you…"

"Wait! He said what?" Tony shouted, anger giving enough courage to face Pepper and her evil heels as he pushed himself out from behind Thor, "We didn't betray SHEILD! They lied to us! They had us hunt down a girl that they were possibly going to kill because she has awesome powers!"

"What?" Pepper jerked back, a blank look on her face, shock coloring her tone. Out of all of the possibilities that she had thought was going to happen when they said Tony lead the Avengers in an all-out betrayal she had never thought that it was to save someone.

"Guys meet Alex," Tony announced, motioning to the girl between Bruce and the two super spies that were continuously looking around them as if ready for war. "She is a…"

"Mathematician!'' Jane spoke out, pointing to Alex, a thoughtful look on her face, "I studied your papers in grad school…but you should be at least thirty…"

"Thirty seven," Alex corrected, smiling slightly, "I'm also sorry about having to study that. It sounds painful."

"It wasn't the…wait you really are…oh my…" Jane looked a little shell shocked to say the least, "You are amazing! I mean that! Oh my… you were one of the reasons I noticed the mathematics involved in the astrological abnormalities that helped me find Thor!"

Alex blinked slowly, once…twice, stunned into a frozen shocked state that scared Bruce for a second. "Thanks?" she said her answer as a question, making him smile again. He should have known that she wouldn't understand how to react to people actually looking past her abnormality to see the big brain that she had been hiding.

"Oh my…can I just, can I talk to you about what made you start researching the equations and statistics of mathematics compared to astrological abnormalities?'' Jane was babbling, completely forgetting the fact that less than twenty minutes ago she had been on the warpath along with Pepper. She was in complete fan girl mode which she hadn't mentally prepared herself for, she grabbed Alex's hands, pulling her away from the rest of the group and beginning to babble about every part of Alex's equations that she had used in her thesis.

"Aww, doesn't that look familiar?" Tony laughed, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked, continuing to watch as Jane gushed and Alex continued to grow more and more uncomfortable.

"Doesn't her face look just like yours when I told you about how much of a fan I was of your work?" Tony said, sounding mildly insulted, "I mean the look on your face then, I would've paid so much for JARVIS to have been able to take a picture of that! I was like you had never heard anyone say that before…just. Like. Her," he continued, pointing to Alex with a wagging finger.

"I think Jane is most enamored with the Lady Stone!" Thor announced proudly, "They will learn much from each other! It is good you found her good doctor!"

Thor clapped Bruce on the back with his broad hand in a show of comradery. "I'm glad you're excited about her being here," Bruce laughed anxiously, twisting his fingers together.

"She will spend much time with Jane and I and we will learn many things about this Mathhhmattics," Thor stumbled over the word, before smiling widely, "It will be most fun!"

Bruce blinked suddenly, the thought that Alex would be spending time with people other than himself finally setting in. She would have other friends, be working with everyone else, and would more likely want to work with someone like Tony or Jane that focused more on similar sections of learning as she did. He felt something twist in his gut, something that he didn't recognize completely but he knew he had felt this before.

"Earth to Bruce?" Tony's voice broke into Bruce's analysis of his emotions, his hand waving in front of Bruce's face quickly making him jump back in shock. "What were you thinking about, Big Guy?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," he answered quickly, shaking his head. "So we are going to the tower now?"

"I have all three of the limos waiting for all of the bags and the entire team," Pepper answered with a sweet smile.

"Ah!" Alex yelping drawing everyone's attention as Thor threw her dramatically over his shoulder, her eyes widened and her hand clamped over her mouth. "Sorry," she whispered, catching Thor's small flinch as the high pitched yelp made its way into his ears.

"Tis fine! Another wonderful discovery! That was what the man of iron was speaking of when he spoke of screen less magic boxes!" Thor announced, jumping slightly moving forward to the group with her still thrown over his broad shoulders.

"Can I ride with you on the way back to Avengers Tower?" Jane questioned, excitement still sparkling in her eyes. "I would love to continue talking to you about the…"

"Yes yes, all the science nerds and Thor and Pep in the first car and all the boring people in the other!" Tony announces loudly, waving his hand casually towards the pair of limos.

"Tony," Pepper chastised in a low tone, though there was a giggle in her voice, "be nice and do you think that all of us can fit in one…"

"It's called stretch for a reason," he grinned, tossing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, "Besides you could always sit in my lap! Apparently friends can sit on each other's laps too that means that if we need more room I can sit on Bruce's!"

Bruce and the Captain shot Tony a mixture of look that could kill, though the look Tony gave in return was completely unrepentant. "Come on Tony before you get yourself killed," Pepper smiled, moving the pair of them forward toward the limo, out of reach of Bruce even if he turned green.

Alex however was still trying to decide how she felt. The woman continued to talk a million miles a minute about another subject she had entered, her own thesis she had done in her final year at MIT, smiling at her as if there was nothing in the world odd about her. She was continuing to be carried around by the 'demi-god' Thor, whom she would have sworn didn't even notice her weight and barely flinched when she had screamed. These people, they were all acting like she was completely normal…then again considering their version of normal she was probably pretty close.

Tony's driver got out of his seat quickly as the group approached and opened the doors, standing back so that the group had enough room to pile in without having to move. Thor sat inside first, moving Alex down into the seat next to him and Jane as she sat next to him, Bruce, Tony and finally Pepper. "So…can I ask you more questions or are you…" Jane asked, blushing and biting her lip.

"Um," Alex blinked at her, wide eyed, how could she still have more questions?

"She's clearly not used to people understanding her work," Tony laughed, grinning at Pepper, planting a delayed kiss of greeting on her cheek before looking back at Bruce.

"More like she didn't think anyone was reading it," Bruce disagreed, smiling slightly at the blush that had since made it's way over Alex's face.

"Hey, most work of a mutant goes under layers and layers of security tape after they are uncovered, it's not likely that anyone besides probably Doctor Gray and Professor Charles Xavier that is still being read in classrooms," she snapped back, shaking her head; the thought of all of her life's work going under because she was something different killed her soul.

"I think you were already too well known before you were released as a mutant to the public to get you under tape," Jane answered, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Not to mention you have had some of the greatest leaps in mathematics and engineering in the past thirty years," Tony added, "You have a huge brain that not even disappearing off the earth could hide. I mean seriously, you introduced Chaos Theory."

Alex straightened suddenly, "Under a false name, how did you…"

"Not false," Tony disagreed, wagging his finger in a chastising manner, "Your old name, like most of your work is under, at least all of your more recent stuff."

"How in the world…I'm actually not surprised, I don't know why I'm acting like I am," Bruce sighed shaking his head.

"You were leading a trail for someone to follow, weren't you?" Tony asked suddenly, "I mean all of the equations had some numbers that equaled out to be coordinates of different countries."

"The metaphorical bread crumbs for someone to follow so that he wouldn't start ripping apart homes in the more populated areas in the world," she nodded, "I knew that most people wouldn't notice the fact that I had changed font size on the numbers but he would…and apparently you mister Stark."

"I notice everything," Tony agreed, cocky as ever.

"I knew you couldn't just keep those theories you were working on to yourself," Bruce laughed to himself, remembering several long nights of Alex hunching over an old chalk board working on equation after equation.

"That was a huge discovery!" she shouted, throwing her arms in the arm, "Actually the only thing, I think I ever published in my name now is what Jane is talking about…" she hummed thoughtfully, going through everything that she had sent in to journals over the years.

"I knew that you couldn't have published something like that and disappeared!" Jane shouted, "What until Erik hears that I was right! I started to follow another set of mathematics by another woman that had very similar style as you did. Hannah Striker, she was a general's daughter at some point."

Jane stopped as she saw Alex flinch, looking over sharply, "That's you isn't it? You Hannah too?"

Alex shrugged, running a hand through her hair, "And the general is the one following me, it's good to know that my bio is still up," she laughed bitterly.

"Home. Mister Stark?" Happy interrupted from the front seat, glancing over his shoulder.

"Of course," Tony nodded, waving his hand in dismissal, "Also Happy I want you to amp up the security in the tower, make sure that everyone has a name tag."

Happy smiled widely, glancing back in the mirror, "Gladly sir."

The car stirred to life, moving forward quickly just as Jane had opened her mouth to ask Alex another question about her latest projects, when she suddenly stopped. A smile graced her lips, a weird half smile that almost seemed sad, before she nodded slightly at Alex. "Would you switch seats with me?" Jane questioned slightly, picking up on something that no one else in the car seemed to.

Alex titled her head slightly, confusion creasing her forehead as she tried to ignore the fuzzy feeling in her stomach at the thought of being next to Bruce. She nodded, hesitantly catching Bruce's eyes before climbing over Jane and almost falling into Bruce's lap, making Tony burst into laughter. She sighed, more amused than annoyed because she was over joyed at the change in conversation that she was almost sure was about to occur.

Bruce felt his heart speed up, thankful that he had turned off the sound his heart monitor was supposed to make when he heart raced a little too high. If he had less self-control he knew he would have been blushing, shaking his head he pushed all inappropriate thoughts that he knew could only cause a very large green problem as Alex shifted off of his lap and into the seat next to him. He saw her own face blush, brushing the thought off as nothing but embarrassment on her part for the fact she had landed on his lap, and look at her seat an odd grateful smile on her lips that he doubted she had noticed.

"So are when we get back to your tower Tony can we borrow your lab for the chemical balancing for the water purifier?" Bruce asked with a smile, moving his hand closer to Alex's leg in a comforting gesture, or at least that was what he was telling himself.

"Of course!" Tony announced proudly, throwing his arms up before throwing one around Pepper and the second around Bruce. "Can I be there for the testing? I mean I have a lot of ideas for the testing to make sure it works correctly in several different situations."

"Of course," Alex agreed, smiling again, as if the science talk about something she was creating with other people soothed her. Which it did, her mind was slowing down knowing that it wasn't just her project, that now it was a group effort and the focus wasn't her, that she was a part of something. "Could you test and make sure you think that the form is sound? I was worried that maybe since we were in the least then desirable area that I might have missed something, ya know?"

"The chemicals shouldn't be that hard to measure out and the mixtures aren't that volatile so even if something is mixed up or not measured correctly nothing should explode," Bruce added, moving his leg so that it touched Alex, catching Tony's eyes.

"That is a relief," Pepper added, nudging Tony, "Everything he seems to be doing now blows up."

"Oh, most of mine do too, but I haven't been using very good equipment," Alex shrugged.

"Or at least she likes to blame it on the equipment," Bruce joked, nudging Alex's side, gaining a disgruntled look from the girl.

"Or maybe it's all your fault and you are messing with my stuff while I sleep," she quipped, sticking out her tongue out at him.

"Not that hard considering you stay up until dawn and then sleep until noon," he returned, his smile growing wider then Tony had seen since he had met Bruce, it gave him a warm feeling in his stomach.

Tony caught Pepper's smile from the corner of his eyes, she seemed to be loving the relationship, however odd it may be. "How did you all meet?" Pepper asked, breaking into their conversation, "I mean I never really got the introduction and it was just Alex."

"My name is Alexandria Stone, Alex," Alex supplied, "I went to MIT for eight years, got a masters in Mathematics and Computer Engineering. I was an emancipated minor at the age of 12 and I went on the run at the age of around 20? I went through like seventeen different countries before I ran into Bruce, and that was when we started working together."

"Whoa," Pepper said, her eyes wide, "That was 25 years in ten seconds."

"37 years," she disagreed.

"What?"

"I'm 37 years old not twenty five," she smiled slightly.

"Wow, you don't…"

"Look 37? I get that a lot," she smiled, winking.

"How many times have you said your age in the last day?" Bruce asked, placing his hand on top of her own for a moment, before pulling away quickly hoping no one had noticed.

"More then I have in the past seventeen years," she answered, trying to hide the pain that she had felt when he had jerked his hand away like she was suddenly a rabid dog. "So am I still getting that steak when I get to your tower, Stark?"

"Only if you are going to let me go through the blueprints of that water purifier," Tony countered with a smile, "Seriously, you made this in the amazon and I'm pretty sure it's made even better then anything people have made in my labs."

"That's a sad day for you Mister Stark," she quipped, sneaking a glance at Bruce from under her eyelashes that didn't go unnoticed by Tony or Pepper.

"So how long do you think you'll stay?" Pepper asked, good naturedly, hoping for a positive answer because honestly she was looking forward to a close number of women and men in the tower.

"Hopefully, I will be leaving as soon as possible," she answered without thinking, before noticing the visible flinching on most of the passengers' parts, except Thor who as usual wasn't paying attention. "You won't be missing out on anything, I'm nothing but trouble," she laughed, winking at Pepper.

Bruce shook his head, knowing that while Pepper and Jane giggled at the quickly spat comment, that Alex was all too serious about running. He understood that he was exactly the same way last time he was here, reading to run as soon as everything was complete, and he actually was the same way now but he knew that Alex had no reason for her self-imposed exile.

_Just the crazed colonel on her tail that insisted on her death_, his brain supplied the thought before he could censor it. He bit the inside of his cheek, cursing mentally that he had allowed himself to judge someone that he had been partners with for so long that was basically a mirror image of himself. Her hand was suddenly on his, the hand that had been hidden between the two of them so it was out of sight, making him glance up at the half smile on her face, understanding in her eyes.

"So she made a water purifier?" Pepper questioned, her brow froing.

"One that is strong enough to be able to withstand the most toxic water and clear out almost any contaminants that could harm any humans or spread water bred sickness," Bruce explained, "In theory all we need is for my chemical measurements and testing. After that stage Alex was talking about taking it to several third world countries and creating safe places for people to gain access to safe water."

"Everyone needs water, it's the basic source of all human life," Alex explains quickly, as if she didn't want to be seen in a better light, like giving away her project that she had been working so hard on was common sense. "Water should be free, if the water is free and pure then it could end almost all world hunger, almost all of the world's water born and deadly disease!"

Pepper nodded, understanding the need to want to help people lacking though her mind was still confused about why she was giving everything away. "Tony, shouldn't the American government give her some sort of payment for this? If it ends up working anyway?"

"Only if she wanted to give away her location," Tony answered simply.

"SHEILD already knows she's here, who else wouldn't?" Pepper tilted her head in confusion, staring Tony down before flickering her eyes to Alex briefly and the back to Tony, "Tony…"

"She has a organization of the army except not very legal version of the an organization of the army. Actually I don't even know if they would consider them part of the army anymore they might be just some group ran by an insane former colonel…"

"Tony," Pepper cut off his nervous babbling with a simple word, "It's okay, I was just curious on if we actually needed to amp up security. There are already a thousand complaints over Happy and his obsessive name tag thing."

"Hey name tags are important!" Happy called from the front seat defensively.

"They are!" Tony called out, raising a fist in the air in support.

"So not legal army thing, so nothing new," Pepper nodded, glancing over at Bruce with a small smile, "So we are prepared."

"We are prepared," Tony nodded, smiling along with her, before looking up at Alex, "and in my labs you can do as much research as you want in peace!"

Alex nodded with a smile, her brain actually reviling in the fact that she would actually have a place to do her math…her welding and building. Alex glanced over at Tony, then her eyes flickered to Bruce, ignoring the feeling of warmth in her gut at his own smile. "I would like that," she whispered the answer, leaning her head back against the seat before a thought popped in her head. "Bruce what does he mean friends can sleep in your lap?"

Bruce's face turned ten shades of red before the car burst into a roar of laughter.


End file.
